Bekmambetov’s Bazelevs to produce toon series

'Chromosapiens' to air on Paramount Comedy in Russia

KARLOVY VARY — Bazelevs, the Moscow shingle of “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” helmer Timur Bekmambetov, is partnering with Viacom International Media Networks on a series of short cartoons, which have the working title “Chromosapiens.”

The move reps the first foray into TV for Bekmambetov, who forged a career as a director in Russia with films including “Night Watch” and “Day Watch,” before moving to Hollywood.

The 12 animated comedy shorts, each two minutes long, will air in the fall to the four million households in Russia that receive the Paramount Comedy channel.

The project includes groundbreaking, patent-pending technology FilmLanguage, developed by Bazelevs with the support of Russian non-profit organization The Skolkovo Foundation.

FilmLanguage will enable users to create their own animated shorts featuring “Chromosapiens” characters by converting natural language text directly into animation. The FilmLanguage platform will be accessed through Paramount Comedy’s Russian website and will be available to fans across the country.